Presence of the Past: Morphic Resonance and the Habits of Nature Paperback – January 1, 2011

In his book Morphic Resonance (or, as it was originally called, A New Science of Life), biologist Rupert Sheldrake explained his bold theory of formative causation- the idea that all structures from molecules to cells, from organs to complex organisms, were organised by something called morphogenetic fields. Morphic resonance from past fields resulted in repeated events and changes becoming more and more likely to occur. For instance, crystals formed in a lab somewhere will be progressively easier to form in labs all over the world the more often they are formed. Behaviour learned by one individual or group of animals somewhere will be easier to learn by other members of the same species in the future. And so on and so forth.In this follow up book, The Presence of the Past, Sheldrake presents numerous phenomena and experiments supporting his ideas.As he did in his previous book, he explains how genes are overrated and proposes morphogenetic fields as a possible solution to the question of what lies behind the different forms of different organisms. He also talks a bit about experimental evidence for the Lamarckian idea of acquired characteristics and explains how morphogenetic fields can help explain how said characteristics are passed down.The different phenomena and experiments presented as evidence for morphic resonance are quite varied. As well as ones shown in the Morphic Resonance book, like crystal formation, milk bottle opening blue tits and human performances in IQ tests, there are also a number of others as well, such as the nest building behaviour of Paralastor wasps and experiments involving people using things like Russian typewriters and Morse code.One particularly interesting aspect of Sheldrake's ideas is how they can be used to explain memory. The standard explanation is that there are specific parts of the brain storing memory, yet no such specific parts have been found. Sheldrake's explanation is that our brains act as receivers using morphic resonance to tune into ourselves in the past. Forgetting occurs when appropriate morphic fields are not established.Morphic fields also explain how things like termite colonies and fish shoals manage to act almost like a single unit. Morphic fields link different members of a group, allowing them to perceive what their fellows perceive. This would also provide an explanation for the "paranormal" phenomena of telepathy.In the context of evolutionary biology, morphogenetic fields explain how such things as atavism (when ancestral traits appear in an organism) and convergent evolution (when unrelated organisms bear noticeable similarities in their basic form), as a result of morphic resonance causing the morphic fields of an organism to tune into the morphic fields of other organisms from the past or present and reproducing aspects of those other organisms' forms.Sheldrake shows how morphogenetic fields can be tested using various experiments. He also offers possible explanations for cases where morphic resonance is not detected, such as the possibility that morphic resonance on Earth could be swamped by the morphic resonance of other worlds in our universe (and perhaps even in other universes as well) where things that have occurred here already occurred long ago, and also the idea that maybe morphic resonance reacts with things from the future as well as (or even instead of) things from the past.Overall, The Presence of the Past was at least as interesting, if not more so than Morphic Resonance. The arguments are persuasive and are presented in a clear and concise manner. And best of all, the ideas are testable. Hopefully Rupert Sheldrake's work will one day be recognised as a truly paradigm shifting chapter in the history of modern science.

Sheldrake's opus shakes the axioms of causality underlying experimental science. Not many books have done that. Not many books can address metaphysical topics, suggest alternatives to the standard Aristotelian underpinnings of science or "naturalism," and do so plausibly without recourse to superstition.Sheldrake, a biologist, examines the many anomalous phenomena that seem to cut against some very basic beliefs about "how things work." The book integrates observations from many different fields of endeavor from physics to biology to psychology. The scope of this work as as wide as it is deep.If you have ever read Thomas Kuhn's "Structure of Scientific Revolutions," this book will resonate along the same lines for you. Well worth your time and money.

In good shape as advertised

This book has been one of my own personal favorites for a long time. I have got it time and again from libraries and finally bought my own, which I cherish. If you love Rupert Sheldrake's view of evolution, you must have this. I am hooked on morphic resonance and the habits of nature. I see it happening everywhere when I look at zoological systems and ecosystems.

Is the world an inanimate machine or a living organism? Does it obey eternal laws, or does it behave by long-established habits? Do living things achieve their actual form as instructed by DNA, or by some overarching field of form? Is memory stored within the brain (no good evidence for that) or somewhere else? All of these questions and many more are considered in this massive work. If they aren't exactly answered, at least they are studied.Author Rupert Sheldrake writes in a dense scholarly way with extensive reference to the history of philosophy and sciece. Unfortunately he introduces too many terms that are not well explained--terms like morphic fields, morphic resonance, chreodes, and so on. He offers no real evidence for these concepts, and only a few rather weak experiments to support any part of his system. It took me several years to finish this book, and it was thought-provoking, but I still don't grasp, not really, the basic concepts.Still, if you're open-minded and looking for the answers to everything, don't overlook this book. It's profound. It's deep. Too deep for this reader, but might be just what you're searching for. reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

Rupert Sheldrake deftly explains his theory of morphic resonance which is a unique perspective on the operations of nature. If one wants to digest a fascinating perspective and never view biology and nature the same way again, this is the book for you.

Spot on, a fresh way to approach how things relate, actually makes sense as opposed to all the lies we're taught at school.

all was great

Great book and offers much insight into what might need to be considered. A definite move away from the most popluar "science" view and maybe more worthy to be read!

Ce livre met en avant la résonance morphique, un aspect de l’hypothèse de la «causalité formative» introduite par Sheldrake dans Une Nouvelle Science de la Vie. Pour appuyer son hypothèse, Sheldrake cite l’expérience sur des rats dans un labyrinthe aquatique de William McDougall et l’expérience de Conrad Hal Waddington sur des drosophiles, ainsi que plusieurs expériences psychologiques impliquant l’apprentissage humain. Sheldrake soutient qu’un certain nombre d’anomalies biologiques sont résolues grâce à la résonance morphique, notamment la mémoire personnelle (qui sans quoi requiert l’existence d’un mécanisme de stockage d’information élaboré dans le cerveau), l’atavisme et l’évolution parallèle. Il soutient que l’existence de caractéristiques organisatrices, avec ou sans mémoire inhérente, expliquerait des phénomènes allant du comportement social coordonné entre insectes, aux vols d’oiseaux en passant par la régénération de membres coupés chez les salamandres ou la sensation de membre fantôme chez les amputés.

This book is one of the two most influential books I've ever ever read. (My other favourite - just like Sheldrake, is The Structure of Scientific Revolutions which I read nearly 45 years ago.) Sheldrake writes to be understood. He is so clear throughout and that is becuase he is a master of his subject. This book reminds me of Sapiens in the penetrating insights and use of plain English - but in my view is better and certainly much more significant. Sheldrake is often dismissed - usually be people who have not read him or won't or daren't question their own ideas. His theory, focusses on habits in nature (rather than laws) and the way they can be transmitted. (Morphic Resonance) . The implications are absolutely shattering of the conventional determinist/ reductionist/materialist world view. However, you must be prepare to suspend engrained prejudice and be prepared to think outside conventional scientific orthodoxy. Sheldrake - understands "science" and unlike many of his critics, is prepared to entertain the idea that he may be wrong and that scientific knowledge is always provisional. But my hunch is that he is on to something really big. His theories, elaborated in this book, are of course testable and falsifiable. Over the years Sheldrake has continued to engage in proper scienctific research with thousands of experiments (many double blind) in an attempt to see if the ideas have mileage. They do. This book is very highly recommend to anyone who does not need the rigid security blanket of "The Science" and is prepared to retrace the journey and ideas of a genuine first class Cambridge scientist thoroughly emersed in the scientific method.

Este livro de Rupert Sheldrake é um estudo sobre os modos de ser da natureza, ou, em outras palavras, uma avaliação das formas evolutivas da vida, numa linguagem e com conteúdos muito acessíveis a leigos... interessados na vida do planeta e no planeta.Eu o recomendo muitíssmo por razões que vão desde uma avaliação das teses científicas de forma simples e direta, desde os mais remotos tempos até a contemporaneidade, bem como na sua forma narrativa, objetiva, leve e instigante.Selma Baptista

Sheldrake è molto conosciuto e per questo motivo mi aspettavo un libro con maggiori informazioni, anche sul piano scientifico e sperimentale.